Page 62 - Australian Defence Magazine February 2022

62 FROM THE SOURCE MICHAEL WARD
FEBRUARY 2022 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 60
all of this should be based upon taking a life-of-type view of the operational capability.
So, back to my example; we don't just need to deliver a short-range ground-based air defence capability to Army. We need to be looking at delivering the capability, how it will be introduced into service, how the full potential of the capability will be realised and how it will be ‘evergreened’ so it remains cutting edge throughout its life-of-type.
Finally, and this is really important, industry has got to have the in-country capability to perform that role. It’s all very well to reach back for expertise from overseas - and that’s an important facet of delivering capability for the ADF - but you have to have the in-country capability to operate as a capability partner.
ADM: When you said government needs to fully embrace industry as a fundamental input to capability, you placed an interesting emphasis on the words 'fully embrace'. Why?
WARD: Defence needs to operate, and interact, with indus- try at the capability level rather than at the project equip- ment level. Again, I’m back to emphasising the point: it’s not about engagement for the provision of goods and ser- vices, it’s about engagement with industry for the genera- tion of an operational capability outcome.
On the Defence side, the focus needs to be on operational capability outcomes with a view to the role industry will play in delivering those outcomes. Rather than viewing industry as a vertical stovepipe that delivers major equipment or sustain- ment, looking at how industry can operate more as a horizontal capability partner that might contribute across multiple FICs.
We’re moving into more complex systems with more so- phisticated technology and faster rates of evergreening or technology advancement. Harnessing the opportunities this presents and addressing the challenges is really a white space which has to be filled. Industry is well placed to con- tribute strongly to addressing that white space; working with Defence, partnering to deliver and evergreen leading edge operational capability across its life-of-type.